In a charged particle beam exposure apparatus having a plurality of lenses or lens barrels, as a structure which aligns the lenses arranged at multiple stages, one proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,508 is available. According to this structure, alignment apertures are formed in the plurality of lenses, and a positioning rod is extended through the openings to adjust the positions of the lenses. The diameters of the positioning apertures and the diameter of the positioning rod are adjusted to be almost equal. Therefore, the positions of the lenses arranged at the multiple stages can be adjusted with high positioning accuracy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,508, however, does not refer to position adjustment among members that are in contact with a vacuum sealing member.
It is very difficult to adjust the position of a charged particle beam source, an electrostatic lens, an electrode which forms an electrostatic lens, a magnetic field lens, a magnetic pole which forms a magnetic field lens, a deflector, an electron detector, a lens barrel, or another vacuum member with high positioning accuracy, because a vacuum sealing member which is arranged between members to be position-adjusted deforms.